Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for abdicate. Search instead for abdankten.
Definitions
Trivia Time
Which king famously abdicated in 1936?

abdicate

[ab-di-kayt] / ˈæb dΙͺˌkeΙͺt /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Any coach who says “I don’t want to know” where a transfer lives to escape accountability might want to start realizing an entire program can go down when they abdicate responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

In 2006, when a popular uprising forced the king to abdicate, Thapa was already a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and had been jailed several times for his role in street protests.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

Yet sometimes miracles happen, and Senates don’t entirely abdicate their constitutional advice and consent roles.

From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2025

Christina had been forced to abdicate in 1654, having become a Catholic, and was also living in exile in Rome.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

It may serve his interests by distracting and deflecting but abdicates presidential responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

There's a lot of speculation over who might take over in her stead as Lakshmi abdicates her throne.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2023

The order of succession sets out which member of the Royal Family takes over as monarch when the existing one dies or abdicates.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2022

Better because it abdicates the throne of “is.”

From Slate ● May 14, 2019

Bonaparte, King of Holland, abdicates in favour of his son.

From Napoleon's Letters to Josephine by Henry Foljambe Hall

A few months later, faced with military reversals and urban unrest, Nicholas abdicated the throne.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The plan is to invest in “everything our country has outsourced and abdicated over recent decades,” Combs says.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

This was where she abdicated the throne in favour of her baby son, James VI.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

Ayad Akhtar’s “McNeal,” which had its premiere last year at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in a production starring Robert Downey Jr., failed precisely because it abdicated this responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

“After he abdicated and became quite old, he returned to the palace with the Paper and a strange story.”

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

Freedman said his ambition is to build a company that uses data and technology without abdicating its agencies’ creative and cultural expertise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

“Do I recommend not getting involved? Yes,” she added, abdicating all responsibility for the safety of the neighborhood.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

It is “unfair to say the court is abdicating its authority,” said the ex-prosecutor, who also requested anonymity to speak candidly about the district’s judges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026

"She is abdicating her duty, and this is something that she needs to decide, not a jury. It's a question of law, not a question of fact."

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2024

He wanted to lie down in this redolent field, curl up in the green womb in the dazzling aura of these mountains, growing warm and drowsy under the sun, abdicating all responsibilities—and sleep.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols


Vocabulary lists containing abdicate

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training